HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/19/2011 03C Memorandum: Citizen Concern at Downtown Transit Center ® Memorandum
July 13, 2011
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
and City Manager
From: Ken Mehin, Transit Manager
Subject: Citizen Concern at Downtown Transit Center
At the July 5, 2011 City Council meeting, citizen Lynn Kittleson expressed concern over Transit
riders being asked to leave buses during layovers at Downtown Transit Center.
Yakima Transit, in order to provide better customer service to our passengers, has recently
implemented a policy which states that when a driver needs to leave their bus for an extended
time, they are to ask the passengers to deboard the bus and secure the doors. They may remain
inside the Transit Center to eat lunch, use the restrooms or whatever other needs they may have
for that layover, but then to return to their buses immediately.
4110 By doing so, Transit will prevent damage and other problems from occurring on the bus while
the driver is gone. Transit has had graffiti, fights and other problems on the bus while the driver
is off the bus, and for the safety of our passengers this policy has been implemented.
Operator lay over times are between 3 to 12 minutes at the Transit Center. Curiously,
passengers wait at the bus stops all throughout the city for the same amount of time if not
longer. If the operator is just going to use the bathroom facility, passengers do not need to
disembark. The buses at the Transit Center need to be secured while the operator is off the bus
for any extended time. The operators would also have a chance to go through their bus and look
for lost and found items while everyone is off the bus:
Transit does not believe it would be safe to "lock" the passengers on the bus while the driver is
gone. While we know this may cause an occasional hardship to some of our passengers with
certain weather conditions and their limited mobility, we feel the increased availability of the
drivers over all to our passengers and an extra set of eyes at the Transit Center will provide a
safer environment for our passengers. This policy is not in violation of the current collective
bargaining agreement or any other Transit policies.
Many transit agencies follow this same policy. There can be plenty of mischief happening on the
bus while the operator is gone. Leaving the bus door open and passengers on the bus would be
0 akin to leaving the doors open to your car, house or business while you are away. The buses are
Citizen Concern
July 13, 2011
Page two
running while the operator is off the bus and if an unauthorized person releases the parking
breaks, the bus can and will take off and that causes extreme liability for the transit division.
Alternatively, allowing passengers to stay on the bus leaves Transit to consider additional FTc s
to monitor the buses while the operators spend time inside the building. Additionally, Transit
could build a transit lounge for waiting passengers, however that would also be a significant
cost to Transit.
Transit will be installing a misting system to cool down the passengers during the warm season
while they are waiting. Also, there will be possibility of vending machines being installed by
appropriate vendors at the Transit Center.
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